Marine Terminals Limited fined €15,000 following a fatal incident at Dublin port

Tuesday 28th January 2025

On Monday 27th January 2025, at the Central Criminal Court, Judge Martin Nolan imposed a fine of €15,000 on Marine Terminals Limited following a fatal work-related incident which occurred at Southbank Quay, Pigeon House Road, Ringsend in Dublin 4 on the 14th of November 2018. 

Able-Bodied Seaman (aka Sailor Second Class), Dennis Regana, a Philippines national aged 42 died when the bottom most cargo container of a stack of four detached and fell onto him. At the time he was attempting to insert a missing deck twist lock underneath the stack of containers.

Marine Terminals Limitedhad earlier pleaded guilty to one charge in breach of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005.

The company pleaded guilty to Section 12 of the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, 2005 contrary to Section 77(2)(a), in that it failed to to conduct an undertaking in such a way as to ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that in the course of work being carried on, individuals at the place of work (not being employees) were not exposed to risks to their safety, health or welfare in that there were fragmented verbal and radio communications between personnel on the vessel, on the quayside and in the crane located at the said place of work.

HSA Assistant Chief Executive Mark Cullen said

“When working on container terminals on dock yards it is a priority to ensure appropriate control measures are in place to enable safe access and egress, and in particular to ensure no worker is at risk of being impacted when containers are being moved. It is imperative to ensure constant clear communication ground between vessel and dock operatives involved in this high-risk work activity. This tragic fatality of Mr. Regana was preventable. All employers must ensure incidents like this one are prevented.”

ENDS